Hit $40 for a full week of dinners, now I'm questioning my own math

So I planned seven meals for two people on a $40 budget and actually pulled it off with rice, beans, eggs, and whatever veg was on sale at the local market. My spreadsheet said 42 meals worked out to about 95 cents a plate, which felt like a glitch in the system. On one hand, it proves buying bulk staples beats any takeout deal I've found. On the other, I spent 3 hours chopping and prepping everything Sunday night, so is that really a win? Curious if anyone else tracks their per-meal cost down to the cent or if you just eyeball it and hope for the best.

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kevin_martin1mo ago

Man, that spreadsheet math is never wrong until you factor in your own labor, right? I've been there with the 3 hour Sunday prep, and honestly, I've started timing myself because my time has a cost too. What worked for me was batch cooking just two or three base meals (like a big pot of beans and a tray of roasted veg) instead of seven separate recipes, cut my prep to about 90 minutes. Also, I always round up on the per-plate cost by like 10% to cover the oil, salt, and random spices that never make it onto the receipt. So yeah, you're probably at a buck ten a plate, which is still a steal.

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